12/1/2023 0 Comments Cockpit b2![]() This was likely in part because of a famous media faux pas 34 years ago at the Novemrollout ceremony for the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit. The security and visual format for today’s B-21 Raider rollout ceremony was tightly controlled. But this needs to be assessed when new images emerge. ![]() Moreover, as highlighted in red, some shadows might suggest the aircraft has a sort of cranked arrow wing similar to the X-47B. A vertical vane can be noticed inside the inlet. The less information that potential adversaries can divine about the B-21’s capabilities from its appearance, the better, especially when it comes to low observable technology, avionics and weapons capabilities. And that will be fine with the end-user U.S. Pundits and defense spending curmudgeons will almost certainly blabber on that the B-21 is not tangibly different from the 34-year old B-2 Spirit. But the smooth, animal-like contours and strangely non-metallic appearance of its gray surface give the more sophisticated observer a sense of quiet lethality and lurking advancement that the rollout didn’t reveal and, in fact, wilfully concealed. The B-21 is visually and dimensionally smaller than the B-2, leaving an initially less menacing impression due to its size. The B-21’s oddly formed canopy speaks to changes made from experiences with the B-2 Spirit. There is a subtle, and quietly sinister shift in the appearance of the B-21 Raider from its predecessor the B-2 Spirit. It is a testament to America’s enduring advantages in ingenuity and innovation.”īut despite inspiring speeches, the star of the show was the shy, gray ghost initially dressed in a sheer gossamer-fabric frock who barely poked her head out of the Palmdale hangar. It is fitting that the next chapter in American air power is named in their honor.” And, “The B-21 Raider is the first strategic bomber in more than three decades. Austin III compared the global precision stealth-strike capabilities of the new B-21 Raider to the Doolittle Raiders’ 1942 mission when they had, “Showed the strength, and reach, of American air power”.Īustin III went on to say, “The audacity of the Doolittle Raiders has inspired generations of American Aviators. Army Air Corps crews who executed the famous Doolittle Raid over Japan on April 18, 1942, and the inspiration for the official name of the B-21. Secretary Austin III invoked the legacy of the Doolittle Raiders, the group of U.S. It was Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III who delivered the most inspiring remarks about this historic moment in aviation history. The official unveiling of the B-21 Raider began after remarks by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III, Chairman, CEO and President of Northrop Grumman Kathy Warden and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Christopher W. Northrop CEO Kathy Warden told Breaking Defense reporter Valerie Insinna that, “The real differences are inside of the platform, because you can think about how much digital technology has progressed since the time we built the B-2 and the time we built the B-21.” ![]() Given the immense operational security that has surrounded the B-21 program, it’s likely the first adversary to learn about the true operational capabilities of the Raider Raider will never survive to talk about them. As most analysts predicted, the majority of new capabilities for the B-21 Raider reside deeply concealed under its rumored-to-be new low observable coatings, within the millions (billions?) of lines of code that run its systems and a suite of sensors and network-enabled electronic and weapons capabilities that would be more at home in a science fiction novel than a current day aircraft. In almost every respect, the B-21 Raider rollout revealed no significant surprises from the artist renderings of the aircraft that have been in the public domain for years. There were absolutely no views of the B-21 Raider from the rear, top or side of the aircraft. But the bashful star of the show was one mysterious looking gray bomber with very small engine intakes, unusual looking cockpit windows, and a wide, fat belly.
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